Pa Miang is actually sandwiched between several well-known tourist destinations. To the southeast, a short drive away, is Chae Son National Park whose hot springs and pleasant camp-site are a regular draw for nature-lovers.
A mere 10km or so to the northeast is Ban Mae Kam Pong, a hip new destination in Chiang Mai’s Mae On district where zip-line tours of the rainforest canopy and chic resorts are attracting lots of young travellers lured by the village’s cachet as “the next Pai’’.
But with all this commercial activity under way so close by, I couldn’t help wondering for how much longer this calm and beautiful hamlet will be able to avoid the ill-effects of mass tourism.